


Going Public

by Caitlin76



Series: Weathering the Storm [1]
Category: Pitch (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-13 01:45:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9100930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caitlin76/pseuds/Caitlin76
Summary: Mike and Ginny have decided to use the media to their advantage. They will be in control of when the public finds out about their relationship. Plus how they ended up engaged.





	1. Chapter 1

**Going Public…**

It's been a month since the end of the World Series. The Padres made it to the play-off last year, the year Mike almost left for the Cubs. The year Mike and Ginny almost kissed. This year, 2017 they did it. Padres took it all – World Series champs.

Sportscaster seemed the next logical step in Mike Lawson's career. He'd been secretly taking lessons, and studying footage from ESPN in his spare time. He's been on air a few more times since is first near disaster on air two years ago. But this time was different, he had never been this nervous about going on air. Today's interview was about him, not stats or other games played, his personal life. The world was expecting him to announce an early retirement, now that he had his championship.

He took his seat on stage. Ginny and Blip joined him the studio for support and hung off to the back of the studio. A sound guy came over to adjust his mic and the make up lady did a quick touch of powder on his nose and forehead. From the furrow in his brow, you could tell he hated the idea of make up but he'd knew better get use to it if he wanted a second career in front of the camera.

A voice from somewhere off stage yelled "and you're live in 3… 2… 1… "

The show's host, Rob, did his normal show into material, then introduced his first guest of the day as "THE" Mike Lawson, Padres Catcher and San Diego's #1 bachelor. Rob's first question to Mike, "You're looking refreshed and better than ever."

"Thanks Rob, I don't think I've ever felt better."

"So, I'm going to get straight to it. Do we get an exclusive on your future with the Padres?"

"Well Rob, I wanted to take some time after wining the World Series to really consider all of my options. And after a lot of time talking to Al, Oscar, my teammates and my girlfriend, I've decided to …"

Rob quickly interrupts … "Mike, did you say girlfriend?" Mike smiled slyly. "I'm going to come back to that later, now what were you saying about retirement?"

"I'm not, retiring that is. I've decided to finish out my Padres contract and play a final year. I may need a double knee replacement, but I love this game, I love this team."

"I don't think any of us were expecting you to stick around on the field for another year. Does this have anything to do with a new love interest?"

"It's not a new love interest," said with a lot of emphasis on the word 'new.' "We've been together about a year now. Contrary to anything you've seen in the gossip columns, TMZ or anywhere else in the media, I'm not the man about town any more. No need when you've found the ONE."

Rob pushed for more information, which Mike was prepared for… There was a lot of strategy put into this whole interview, Rob didn't know it, but Mike was in control of the interview from the moment he agreed to the show. "So who is this lady who tamed the animal in Lawson?"

"Actually Rob, fiancé. Before the show I gave a video of the proposal to your producer if you'd like to see."

"I think the world wants to see Mike Lawson in love. If we didn't play it, I may loose my female following. Then again, announcing that you're off the market on my show may do the opposite." Rob said in jest.

Mike continues, "It was a pretty great moment. The team was doing a final picture shoot with the Commissioners Trophy out in the middle of the field at Petco. I had schemed with both the team and the photographer to propose at the end of the shoot… I was wearing a mic that played over a nearby speaker and Blip's wife, Evelyn, caught it all on camera." Mike looked up at the producer's booth with a nod, then over at Ginny and Blip, like there was no turning back.

**\- The video proposal -**

On the screen - an image of a photographer on a tall ladder could be seen arranging the players, coaches and staff for a picture on the middle of the field. All the players are in their uniforms, staff in matching polo shirts with the Padres logo on it. You could easily hear the photographer ask for one final shot. "Can the team captain come up front? Also, the first female player? I want a shot highlighting you two. Go ahead and stand on the pitcher mound." Both Mike and Ginny made their way to the front and the photographer could be heard adjusting the rest of the team to fill in the gaps. In reality, they were handing something out behind their backs that couldn't be seen on camera.

Then, Mike dropped down to one knee in front of Ginny as all the players held out a rose towards their Captain. "Ginny, Rookie, love of my life." A tear is already coming down her face. Ginny begins to wipe the tears from her face as Blip hands her a handkerchief as if on cue. Blip said "you know there's no crying in baseball," and smirks.

Mike smiled, took her hands and continued. "You have challenged me, I mean _**really**_ challenged me, and changed me for the better both on and off the field. I think everyone in the clubhouse would agree that you, in my life makes me a better man."

Blip shouts out "now you're tolerable, old man Lawson…" Pretty much everyone laughed at this point.

Mike continued, "I told you after our first kiss, I was never going to let you go. I told Al before spring training, bench me over her if our relationship get's in the way of the team. After we told the team, I'm told them I was going to marry you. A week later, I went and bought a ring, and have worn it around my neck every game since then. It was my lucky charm." As Mike was talking, , still on bent knee, he took a chain out from under his shirt and held out the engagement ring attached to it. "Please Ginny, will you…" before he can end his question, Ginny has bent over to kiss him. "… marry me" Mike finishes slightly breathless.

Ginny nods yes and throws her arms around Mike's neck as he stood up, and whispers something in his ear that the mic doesn't pick up. He slips the ring, still attached to the chain on her finger. "She said YES!" and pumps his fist in the air. By this time their teammates had now separated the petals from the stems and thrown rose petals towards the newly engaged couple.

"I love you!" Ginny declared, her first words that are actually picked up by the mic on Lawson's jersey. She now has jumped onto Mike with both legs wrapped around him and there is no way anyone is getting in the middle of this epic kiss. He's knees are sure to feel this the next day, but he doesn't care, he's going to marry this woman.

In the background, you can hear the team cheering for them.

**\- End video -**

The camera snaps back to Rob, who looks dumbfounded for the first time in his career. Then immediately pans over to Ginny in a poorly lit area in the back of the studio. She has a big grin on her face and flashes her engagement ring. Pan back to Mike and Rob on stage.

Rob, "I'm not sure where to start. This must be the best-kept secret in baseball. Ginny, would you like to join us on stage?"

As Ginny makes her way to the stage, with Blip following closely behind, a sound tech mic'd her as she moved. Mike responded "I know, can you believe this amazing woman agreed to marry me. I wake up every day and wonder if I've been dreaming." Mike stood up to offer Ginny his seat, kissed her forehead gently then stood next to her with a hand on her shoulder.

It was clear the producer had not prepped the host for this news bomb, as he sat there staring at the two of them. Ginny jumped in, "We fought our feelings for a long time, which I think made things worse between us. After the season was over… Blip told us to go for a drive and figure out how to work together, because he wasn't going to go through another season of our bickering the way we did during the play-offs. We'll spare you the details, but we figured it out!"

The camera is panning around to find Blip, not realizing he moved when Ginny did, he's now only slightly off stage. You can hear Blip say from off stage, "I didn't mean for them to start dating, just stop fighting." Then Blip grinned.

Mike, "Yes, our relationship has been a secret for the past year. Like any professionals working together, we informed our boss of the relationship. But I think that this secret we had on the team, made us closer, more unified."

"Will you both be playing on the Padres next year now that you are engaged?" Rob had to bring it back to sports.

Mike and Ginny looked at each other and gave a little laugh. Mike started "Why wouldn't we? We've been dating and working together for the last year very well." Ginny continued with, "Well enough to not get in the way of winning the World Series. The only change is that now everyone in the stands knows. We each new separately, we were going to spend our lives together. We knew how to separate work from home. We're great co-workers."

Rob, "Ginny, what did you whisper to Mike after he proposed?"

"Rob, we kept our relationship out of the public eye for the last year because we keep to ourselves. It gave us time to fall in love, and not have the world dissecting the relationship. We plan to continue to keep our personal life out of the media as much as possible, we want to be a boring couple, so some things you don't get to know."

"Ginny, you are really a remarkable woman, trailblazing in a man's sport. Did you expect to fall for a teammate? Was it the beard? It was the beard…"

"I had said all of my career, I don't date ball players. But what I realized is I fell for a man who respected me as an athlete first, then fell in love with the woman second. He just happened to be my best friend and team mate. And maybe, a little of the beard." Ginny reached up to Mike's face and gently ran a finger along his jaw. Her touch still made him tingle inside.

"I have to ask, when's the wedding?"

Mike, "Well, Rob… If we plan on winning the World Series again next year, we need to have another team secret…"

Rob was getting a cue from off stage. "Well you heard it here. Mike Lawson and Ginny Baker, the new IT couple in sports." Then cut to commercial.


	2. Reconciliation

"Enough you two!" Blip yelled at both of them after the game in the locker room. The rest of the team looked on in shock. "We are two games away from the play-offs. I can't have you bickering in the dug out. We can only keep you separated on the field so long. Duarte needs a break and I know you want in the game Mike." Blip finally realized the rest of the team was staring in dead silence. As soon as he glanced around the room, they busied themselves changing and getting ready to leave for the day.

"It's a Sunday… Have you ever heard of a Sunday drive? Take one – together." Mike started to open his mouth in protest. But Blip continued, "I don't care what you have planned – cancel it. We leave for Arizona tomorrow. Figure out how to be civil to each other, or I'm going to figure out how to make you ride on top of the bus – GO! NOW!"

Ginny shrugged her shoulders and ran off to grab her bags from her separate locker room. While she was gone Blip move towards the exit, arms across his chest, waiting for them to leave. Al came over, "I hope you know what you're doing and didn't just create a moving explosive," then left down the hall to his office.

Ginny returned, looked at Mike and said "well old man – we 'doin this or what?" Mike pretty much just growled. And walked off towards his car, Ginny two steps behind, and Blip another few feet behind her. Blip was going to make sure they at least got in the car together.

Once in the car, Mike asked "where to?"

Ginny, without hesitation said, I've always wanted to hit a few golf balls out at Torrey Pines. It's about an…"

Mike cut her off, "I know where it is, I've lived here _**much**_ longer than you." The drive up the coast was more beautiful than Ginny imagined. Most of her time in San Diego had been consumed in Petco Park, Nike meetings, bars with the team, or traveling. But this was the part of the city she longed for. Texas didn't have coastlines like this. Texas didn't have beached like these. For once, narcissistic Mike kept his mouth shut, and she was able to soak in the scenery. About an hour into the drive, Mike pulled into a country club with a private gate. The attendant recognized him and immediately welcomed him by name. Figured.

Car parked, "Come on, Baker." They headed off to the side of the building and down a narrow, but well landscaped path to a small building. Mike was again greeted, "Hello Mr. Lawson, how can I help you today?"

"My associate and I would like to hit a bucket of balls, but don't have our clubs and need to rent a few."

"No problem, we'll get you set up on box 9. If you want to head that way, someone will be with you shortly."

"Associate, I'm an associate to you now?" Ginny asked as the walked off.

Without looking at Ginny he responded, "Well, we're not doing so well in the friend zone and our teammate status sucks." Silence again. They arrived at their driving range tee box and Mike naturally took the first few swings. Decent, but it was clear, he would never be a pro golfer.

Then he stepped off to the side, making way for Ginny. Her swing on the baseball field was nothing compared to Mike's, he had raw power to hit a home run like nothing else. Ginny had always struggled in comparison. Now was her chance to show her talent. Golf wasn't about power, but finesse and accuracy. After a few warm up swings, her first swing at the ball was near perfect. She looked up at her Captain's face, just what she expected… a slight draw drop. Four more swings, nearly as perfect as the first, then she stepped back to let Mike have his turn.

He took his 5-6 swings, average, but they just didn't compare to Ginny. Her turn again, and she showed him what she had. But she wasn't smug about it, all class, which he wasn't expecting.

His turn again and his first two swings were awful, almost too much power. He looked at her and finally said, "ok, you know you want to correct me – go for it." She stepped up behind him, her chest just touching his back and wrapped her arms next to his. Suddenly, she was keenly aware of how much larger in stature he was.

"You have too much power in this game, let up, just a little, and breath." She demonstrated with an inhale that made her chest move gently next to his back. Then she move their arms together backwards and up as to mimic the first part of the golf swing. "On your back swing…"

Mike interrupted her "I can't," he said softly as their faces came close enough to kiss for the second time since 'that night.'

"Sure you can, old man."

He dropped his club to the ground "You never really answered me that night, did you know why I was really leaving?"

"To win a championship?"

"It was more than that, I had just got through lecturing another teammate, and no I won't tell you who, that he was not in love with you, it was a crush, and to get over it. I listed all the reason why he was not in love with you. And by the end of the day, I realized I had fallen for you. I was going to be a distraction to you, to me, to the team. The best thing for me to do was leave. But when I found myself face to face with you that night, I thought maybe, just maybe, this amazing person might feel the same way. Now I'm stuck here and I can never know. And don't answer, if I find out you feel the same way, it will be torture. If you don't feel the same way, I'll be crushed. So don't say anything." He paused. "I think we should head back now." He pushed the remaining balls off to the side and turned and headed to the car, fidgeting with his keys.

She let him have a few moments. He was sitting in the car, hands on the wheel, clearly ready to go. She got in and looked over at him, and finally he looked back at her. Their eyes met and she smiled. She put her hand out, not saying a word. He placed his hand back in hers. She gave his hand a little squeeze.

They held hands all the way back to Petco. The ride back was silent again. But there was a peacefulness this time in the car. The tension had gone.

When they arrived at the parking lot, still not a word had been said, but they had to break their connection. She got out of the car and looked over the rooftop, saying only, "Lawson, _**YOU**_ are _**MY**_ catcher."

His eyes let her know he got the message. "See you in Arizona, Rookie." That was the first time he'd called her Rookie in weeks….


	3. The Bet

It was the first game of the play-offs. They were one series into the play-offs, they made it. Now to stay the course. Ginny entered the locker room to the guys teasing each other as usual. This time the focus was on Mike. "What's old man done this time?" Ginny jumped into the conversation.

Miller responded gleefully, "Ginny doesn't know… The great Mike Lawson takes a vow of chastity if we make it to the playoffs. – Which by the way explains why he is more grumpy than normal. And when the season is over, well, he ends that vow promptly. Mike brings a party of women home to choose from. We're taking bets on how many Cap home after the last game of the playoffs." He hands her a small sheet of paper and pen, "care to wager?"

She looks at him, trying to hide the pain in her eyes, he won't look back. He's sitting in his chair and trying to down play the whole situation. Ginny had a few more dates with Noah after their drive, but stopped seeing him. She thought they had an understanding. Things had seemed to be back their normal banter.

Ginny quickly writes a number on a paper, with her name, folds it up and hands it back. "So when do you announce the winner, Tommy? I think I have this one in the bag." Mike lifts his eyes, not his head to meet her gaze.

**\- Last Game –**

Ginny was a ball of nerves as she walked down the hall to the locker room. They were down two games in the series. Win tonight's game or the season ends and the off-season starts. She wasn't starting, so the game didn't rest on her shoulders, but she never knew if she would be called out to the mound. And if the season ended today, would they keep her for next season, or would she be sent back down? She knew damn well one of the reasons they kept her in the Majors was a way of selling seats, not because she was the best pitcher available. She worked hard to prevent management from having any reason to send her back down to the minors. But if the season ended… well…

Fast forward a few hours… game over… season over. Mike was behind home plate and felt much of the blame, even though no one on the team agreed. They played great, just not good enough.

The locker room was somber. That was until Tommy brought out a jar, with small papers on it… "Now, now Lawson, the only joy we get in losing, is seeing you win. So what will it be tonight? Start a bar with the team? Or have you already hit speed dial and meeting girls directly at your house?"

"Wouldn't you like to have any of those options, young Mr. Miller" and Mike stormed off. Ginny again did her best to disguise her pain. She went to her locker room to change and came back out. Only Blip and Duarte remained. Not much team spirit left.

"Where's Mike?" Ginny asked.

"He headed to his house. Something about meeting friends there. Hey, you never did tell me, what happened on that drive?" Blip responded.

"I thought we came to an understanding, but I guess I was wrong."

"Make sure you two are good by next season's start. It made a difference."

"You think I'll be around next season?" Ginny looked at him.

"I know it!"

"Thanks, I need to take care of something." And Ginny ran off.

About 20 minutes later, Ginny found herself pulling up to Mike's house. Full of cars. She parked along the street. She needed every ounce of courage, she'd been hiding a flask in her bag and pulled it out. Took a few swigs, sat their and let it sink in. A song played on the radio, she couldn't have told you what it was, her mind was somewhere else, Lawson. Could she do this? A few more drinks… Nope. Not there yet. Maybe a little more liquid courage. Out of the car she moved, to the front door. A chesty blonde came stumbling out pretty much at the same time. She saw Mike sitting on his couch across the room, not another male in sight. But plenty of model types to go around. He wasn't really interacting with any of them. It was almost as if they were having a party around him, and he was just a piece of furniture. She found her way to the speaker and turned the volume off. Everyone looked her way.

"Party's over. Time to leave… every one out!" The 20 something ladies looked at her, then over at Mike as if he was supposed to do something. He shrugged his shoulders and only said "you heard the lady, party's over."

Once she had ushered the last of the ladies out the door, she began to strip down to her under wear. Nothing fancy, simple, white cotton. And proceeded to jump into the pool.

Mike finally asked "Mind telling me what the hell is going on here Baker? Why you just crashed my party, and now why you are swimming in my pool nearly naked?"

She held a hand up, as to hold him off, "Can you get me some water?" then swam a few laps. He returned with a bottle of water and knelt down beside her. "Explain," he demanded holding the bottle back until she started talking.

"I had a plan and knew what I wanted to do tonight, to say. I got to your house, and almost chickened out. So I may have drank a little too much sitting in the car out front. Don't worry, I drove, then I drank. Decided to take a swim to sober up."

He gave her the water, then went over to get a towel. "Well that explains why I get to see so much of you Rook." He did an overly exaggerated up and down look at Ginny as she exited the pool, and smiled and her in just her cotton panties. "And frankly, I'm a little disappointed that's what you wear for undies. I mean you make it look good, but really?" He paused as she crank the water "So why the hell are you here?" He was leaning up against the edge of the outdoor couch.

She had now wrapped the towel around her "Season's over, and my contract is done. I don't know if I'll be part of the team next year. Which means we are technically not teammates. So I did the math after the game. We have a few months to see if we have any shot at making a relationship work, before we have to go back to working together."

"Damn it, Ginny, I told you not to say anything." The look in his eyes was excitement, but his body language said otherwise.

"Oh, shut up. I didn't want you sleeping with any of those other women, and if you really wanted to, you wouldn't have let me kick them out."

"What about Noah? He's not a ball player, smart guy, not too bad looking, I mean not Mike Lawson handsome, but…"

"What about him? We dated, it was fun." She moved closer, standing inches away from him, in just her towel. "Yeah, he's a good guy. We can hang out and talk about him for the rest of the night, but I'm not in love with him." She did it, for the first time in her life, she made the first move with a guy. She leaned in, still holding her towel with one hand, balancing herself against his should her with the other hand, and kissed him. He started to kiss her back, then pushed her away.

"We can't..." He looked at her eyes. It was almost as if she expected his rejection, and met the look with denial, as if to say just admit what we both know. She stared right back at him. "Oh, Hell" And he kissed her back. He was never letting go. He had no idea how he was going to make it work, but this was a love like he'd never known, and if he recalled, she just told him she loved him, too.

The next day Tommy texted, [So how many?]

Mike forgot about the guys bet. [Just one] Mike responded, Ginny curled up next to him on the couch watching TV.

[Srsly, Ginny won… I guess she really does know you best]

[You have no idea, buddy. See you Friday at Blips.]

"Only one? You thought I was only able to bring one girl home?" Mike turned to Ginny.

"I told you I hatched a plan, you were going to be mine, from the moment I heard of the bet at the start of play offs." And with that Mike kissed her.


	4. Hiding in Plain Sight

It was early morning in December. She had spent nearly every night at Mike's house since their first kiss. She hated sneaking around, but he was her home. The worst part, the paparazzi outside of the hotel she was still staying at.

She loved this time, cup of coffee. No texts, calls or meetings. Just them. "Hey Mike, let's find me a place this week, so I can properly hide from TMZ. And maybe you can stay at my place once in a while. Or do you think that's impulsive since I still don't know if I'll be in the majors next season."

"Or… I have another idea. Have you ever heard of hiding in plain sight?" He was fixing breakfast for them, pancakes in the off season.

"You've lost me, old man" his Rookie said with a raised eyebrow.

"I have this huge house and three extra, unused bedrooms. What if you were my roommate? Then no one would be the wiser about you coming and going from this house, because it would be our place." He grabbed something out of a drawer and walked over to her. He sat down next to her, and took her hand. "I've been thinking about this, pretty much since the first night you stayed over." He placed a key to the house in the palm of her hand, and looked at her with those eyes.

"Hiding in plain sight. This might work." And she held his cheeks softly and kissed his nose.

**\- Blips Party -**

It was Friday night and the team had gotten to the point of being able to celebrate how far they came in the season, rather than linger over the loss of the last game. Blip and Evelyn just moved into a new home and were ready to show it off. Most of the team was still in town.

Mike and Ginny arrived separately and about 30 minutes apart. Mike also arrived with a blond college co-ed on his arm. It killed Ginny, but it was part of a plan. She knew he had no interest in this girl, and in reality, felt bad for her - she was just arm candy for the evening.

Ginny had wanted to avoid Mike's date. Noooo such luck. Ginny was in the kitchen helping Evelyn, and Mike's date walked in. "Hi, I'm Shannon. I'm here with Mike."

"Ginny." She stuck her hand out as politely as possible.

"I'm Evelyn, welcome to my house. How did you and Mike meet?"

Shannon responded, "we just met, this is kind of a blind date. A friend set us up. She said she thought we'd have a lot in common. Any suggestions to get to know him better? Aren't you his roommate?" She said looking at Ginny. "I see him out with different girls in the media all the time. I'd love to get a second date."

"Just be yourself, sweetie. But don't put out until at least the third date." Ginny responded. She knew this girl had no chance of a third date.

"Roommate, Ginny? What the hell?" Then in a much louder voice, Evelyn yelled, "Blip, get your bony butt over here."

"Yeah, Mike and I were talking on the phone the other day about what part of town I should move to. But I've been so nervous about signing a lease or buying a place not knowing my future with the Padres." By this time Blip, Tommy and a few other guys had joined the conversation. Sweet Shannon had bounced off to try to impress her date. "I hate living in that hotel with all the paparazzi outside. So he offered one of his spare rooms until I have a better idea of what is next for me."

"Hun, are you sure about this?" Evelyn asked, as the guys stared over at Mike, not sure what to make of the situation.

"Well, I'll have to deal with his parade of women in and out of the house. And he's charging me rent, but it's less than I'm paying at the hotel."

"If he tries anything…" Blip inserted, "I think we'll all kill him."

"Thanks guys, I can take care of myself. But I could use some help Sunday moving out of the hotel. You know Mike, usless… Pretty please?" The stage was set. "Back to the party, thank you my guardians." Said with a hint of sarcasm.

The mood continued to be light hearted, fun. The house was beautiful. Everyone was exploring the various rooms and Evelyn was proud to show each of them off. The twins couldn't wait to show Aunt Ginny their rooms. They were pretty bored with the party, and showing Ginny their rooms, meant an opportunity to play video games and hide out from the adults. Mike noticed them take her upstairs and managed to slip away from his date for a bit to join the tour. Only about three minutes into showing the toys in the second boys room, Evelyn called them back downstairs. Mike seized the moment to steal the simplest of kisses from Ginny. "How are you holding up? I got a mini-lecture from Blip about 'hands off and all' once you move in, so that must have gone well, because they are helping you move Sunday."

"I don't love seeing 'Tit's McGee' hanging all over you down there, but if anyone is going to believe we're just friends moving in together, they need to believe you are still out their dating."

"Sorry Gin, it will be worth it. I'll leave shortly, drop her off and only kiss her on the cheek, promise."

"I know. I hear the twins coming back upstairs. You should head back down. I'll stay up hear for a while and play games with them." One final kiss before he made it downstairs. Ginny hung out with the boys for another 20 minutes. By the time she made it back down to the party, Mike had disappeared with his 'date'.

Ginny said her good-byes and left directly for Mike's. In a matter of day's, it would soon be her home too, and everyone would know. She used her key and walked through the door. There sat her Captain on the couch. Sipping a beer, with another one open.

"Took you long enough."

She dropped her stuff on the counter, walked over and sat next to him. Before she could pick up the extra beer, he set his down. He leaned in, kissed her, "Welcome home." Then handed her the extra beer, sat back put his arm around her and settled in to watch TV. Home, yes it may be a total man cave, but next to him, anywhere was home.


	5. Full Disclosure

"Who was that on the phone, babe" Mike asked? He and Ginny had spent most of the off season avoiding their teammates, the public and life outside the Lawson/Baker compound. Ginny left only to go to rehab or help Evelyn with the restaurant. Mike left to hit the gym with Blip.

"Oscar. He asked me to come over this afternoon to talk about my future with the Padres." She was feeling good about her arm, but still had an uneasy feeling about her future with the Padres. "We need to tell him."

"I know, it's the right thing. Can we handle the fall out though if things don't go the way we want?" A sadness fell over him she hadn't seen in a long time. Neither of them wanted to really talk about what could go wrong disclosing their relationship to management. They hadn't even told Blip and Evelyn, so they really had no way to gauge how the conversation would go. He continued, "I'll come with you and we'll tell him together."

**\- Later that day -**

They drove separately, it just seemed like the professional thing to do, show up to work in different cars. But they walked in at the same time, in solidarity. Down the empty halls, they were walking a few feet apart, but they could feel the others heart racing. They had become so in sync with one another, just a look and they could tell how the other was feeling.

Into Oscars office they went, where they found not only Oscar, but Al and Buck. All three men were surprised to see Mike. "Lawson?" Al asked inquisitively.

"Need to talk to you." Straight and to the point, just like Mike.

"We have an appointment with Ginny, can this wait?" Oscar asked?

"Yes, I'll be right here." And shifted off to the side of the room as if he belonged there.

"It's okay, anything you need to say to me, you can say in front of my Captain." Ginny responded, somewhat authorizing Mike's presence in the meeting.

Al asked, "The trainer says your arm is healing really well. What do you think? No bull shit with me either." He shot a look over at Mike to keep his mouth shut.

"I'm feeling better than ever, like nothing happened. I did exactly what the doctors and therapists said, I didn't push it. I learned my lessons the hard way." More than anything, she wanted back on the Padres for the next season, back in the Majors.

Al looked over at Oscar and Buck. Oscar stood up "Okay, this is what is going to happen." The look on Ginny's face showed her excitement. Oscar continued "And listen to everything I have to say before you get to excited. We're inviting you to spring training in Peoria. But after that, we want you back down in the minors for the first few weeks to get warmed up. When we feel the time is right, we'll bring you back up. We'll keep your locker room ready for you. And when you do come back up, you will play games further apart, so you last for a longer season. No arguments. We want you in the play-offs this year. Questions?"

Ginny stood there for a moment. This is exactly what they would do for any male counter part. She looked at Mike, who knew this was a good deal. She gave her head a little not to Mike, he responded and walked up to her side. Hearts began to race again. "No questions. Just a _**minor**_ disclosure."

The management team's interest was now heightened. Why the hell was Mike Lawson in this room at the very moment, and so very interested in Baker's future.

Mike started "Like any professional, it's proper to disclose personal relationships to your superiors."

"Mike Lawson, did you just admit that you have superiors?" Al asked, as they all chuckled.

Mike rolled his eyes and continued. "Ginny and I…" He looked over at her and took her hand.

"Oh hell no…" came out of Al's mouth.

Buck mumbled, "I knew it."

And Oscar said, "No… No… No…"

Mike continued with more force. "We serious, this isn't some fling. We consulted a lawyer; there is nothing in either of our contracts that prohibits this. And we know we can be professionals in the clubhouse and on the field. And we have a plan."

"So what do we tell the rest of the team? What's this grand plan that I'm sure will back fire?" Al asked.

Ginny's turn. She dropped Mike's hand. "Did you know we've been living together since the last game of last season? The rest of the team knows as well? They think we are just friends and roommates. We have kept our relationship a secret for how many months now, and no one had found out, not even Blip and Evelyn."

You could see a little bit of surprise even in Al's face. "How long have you two been, well and item?" Thinking if they moved in together at the end of the season, surely they were dating last season.

Mike let them know, "First kiss was after the last game, of the last season. So you could say we move fast?"

She continued, "We plan to keep it from the guys until after the trade deadline. And only then, we'll tell them. Only permanent teammates will know. We don't think it is fair to keep it from them forever. We want to trust our teammates, but we just don't want this little secret ending up on another team, being used against us. We don't want our relationship to become a media frenzy and distract from the game. I was enough of a distraction last year."

"But, we do think we should tell 1-2 teammates to keep us honest, to let you know if we are not being professional, when any of you aren't around. This means that once Gin is called back up from the minors, we won't share a room at night on the road, no sneaking around." Mike finished up.

"And what if this doesn't work. What if you two become ass hats or break up?" Al asked. "I didn't sign up for relationship management, I'm a baseball guy."

"We'll take what ever you deal out to us, but you won't have to worry." Mike said and took Ginny's hand again.

"Dear god, this is not how I thought today's meeting would go." Oscar said. He looked over at Al. "Your team, your call."

"I trust Mike. But it's his ass on the line if anything goes wrong. Now leave you two, I'm getting a headache."

The turned to leave along with Buck, Al still talking to Oscar. As they were exiting, Mike motioned for Ginny to go on, "I'll meet you at the cars, one more thing I wanted to say to Al."

She headed out the door, but paused outside to hear what Mike had to say. "Hey Al, if things don't work out with Ginny and I, cut me. I'm close to retiring, she's just starting. This is her game now."

"Why do you say that, do you have a bad feeling about you too?" Al asked?

"The opposite, I plan to marry that woman someday. But just in case we can't figure out how to work together, I'll sacrifice my career to keep the relationship. I've given 15 years to the Padres, it's time to put myself first, and she's what I want next in life."

Al smiled and Mike left the office. Oscar didn't like hearing that his star catcher would put his love life over the game, and with a no trade clause, there wasn't much he could do about it. It would be up to Al to convince him to retire if needed.

As Mike exited the office, Ginny was still standing right there. "I'm going to do something right now that I will never do again in this building." Mike looked at her puzzled. Knowing the building was empty for the offseason, other than Buck, Oscar and Al, who all knew their secret; she kissed him, long and hard. "I love you more that you will ever know. Now let's go home and fix dinner, I'm hungry."


	6. Telling Sanders

It had been a few days since they met with Oscar, Al and Buck. Spring training was 10 days away. They needed to tell Blip, which meant they also needed to tell Evelyn. Those two couldn't keep a secret from each other to save the world. They also needed to figure out a second person in case Blip wasn't around. This was one of the few arguments they ever had. Mike wanted Butch, Ginny thought Tommy would be good. Both agreed Blip should have a say, they just need to tell Blip.

Ginny had spent the day helping Evelyn paint the restaurant. While Evelyn could have contracted out a lot of the manual labor, Ginny convinced her the paining would be great to help her rebuild her muscle, great time for them to spend together and give her something to do during the off season. They had planned on heading out that night to check out another restaurant that would be Evelyn's closest competitor. She and Evelyn were just going to clean up at Ginny's house, and Blip would meet there. Mike and Ginny planned to tell them before heading to dinner.

Ginny had all of her stuff in one of the "guest" rooms as part of the rouse. But she also liked getting ready in her own space. It was just down the hall from the master room, where she spent every night. She'd never spent a night in _**her**_ own bed.

Evelyn showered and changed first. Then while she did her hair and make up in the adjoining bathroom, Ginny showered. Ginny came out with just a towel on her hair in her underwear. The ladies each had a glass of wine, were singing to the music Ginny put on and having fun getting ready for the evening.

Mike came down the hall, completely forgetting Evelyn was there, walked into the room, with Ginny still only in her underwear and towel on her head. "Hey, Gin… Have you seen my blue striped shirt? I wanted to wear it tonight?"

"It's still at the dry cleaners. You'll have to figure something else out. What about that new one you just got last week?"

"And I thought only I could make good calls." He slapped her ass as he walked out the door.

Evelyn had been out of Mike's eyesight for the entire conversation, but she had been able to see it all. As soon as he was gone, Evelyn ran over and turned off the music. "What the hell was that all about? It didn't even bother you that Lawson saw you dressed like…, well, not dressed at all."

Ginny let her face do the talking. "What girl! Are you two hooking up? Blip is going to kill Mike!"

"It's not like that Ev. We've been dating since before I moved in. Exclusively. This is the real deal, all in. I love that man, and he loves me. The roommate situation was so we could 'Hide in plain sight' as Mike likes to say. We planned to tell you and Blip tonight. But we're not telling the rest of the team until after the trade deadline."

"Details… I want all the little details. Start at the beginning, from the first kiss and don't leave anything out!." The ladies gossip upstairs until Blip arrived.

Ding Dong… "Ginny, Ev… Blip's here!" Mike shouted from downstairs.

Blip had barely made it through the front door and was ready to get right back out. "You ladies ready to go? I'm starving"

Ginny yelled back as they headed down the stairs, "I made us reservation for hour from now. Don't worry, I have an appetizer. Mike was supposed to put in the oven while we were getting ready." She looked over at him and he rushed to pull it out. "I didn't make it, it's frozen, so no food poisoning to worry about."

"Anything to drink? We have some news to celebrate tonight." Mike asked, not knowing Evelyn was already current on their love life.

After drinks were handed out, Blip asked, "Does this mean Ginny will be in Peoria with us?" Evelyn made sure she was right next to Blips side, because she knew how her husband would have a hard time with the news.

Meanwhile, Mike was also standing right behind Ginny, with one hand on her shoulder, the other holding his beer. He started "That's half of the good news."

Ginny continued "I get to go to spring training, but have to start my first few weeks in the minors. Management does plan on pulling me back up to the majors, but once they do, I will play less often, so I last for a longer season."

"That's great. So what's the other news we get to toast to?" Blip asked.

By this time, Mike had pulled Ginny in close to him. Any normal person could have read the body language and seen that they were in love. But Blip… He needed it spelled out.

"Honey… " Evelyn started and motioned for him to just look at them.

"Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing? Because If I'm seeing this, I'm gonna have to beat your ass Mike Lawson."

Evelyn grabbed her husband's hand, "There in love, my Bug. No ass beating needed."

Ginny's turn, "She's right, I'm in love with this mess of a man, not sure why." She said with a wink towards him and bumped his chest. "And before your pretty little head starts spinning on about the team, we've already told Al, Oscar and Buck."

"So you two? How long? All off season, or did this just start up?"

Mike started "I fell in love with her and that's why I asked to be traded to the Cubs. But we didn't have our first kiss until after the playoffs."

And suddenly it was all clear to Blip, why Mike wanted to leave the Padres, the betrayal, everything came into focus, and he was finally able to forgive Mike. "Oh, man, I better be your best man when you make an honest woman of her, which you _**will**_ do some day."

**-After Dinner-**

Dinner had gone well. Ginny and Mike brought Blip up to speed on their relationship and plans to keep it private. Out in public, no one suspected they were a couple. They had to keep their distance, and watch their body language. It wasn't easy, they didn't want to do it often, but it was possible.

They returned to the Lawson/Baker house for one last drink after their meal.

"So Blip, there is one last piece to this secrecy puzzle we want your help with." Mike said. "As co-captain, we thought you could help find a second person to make sure we stay professional when management and you aren't around. Ginny thinks it should be Tommy, I think Butch. What do you think?

Blip stood up, put his beer on the counter and walked over to where Mike kept his Whisky and poured himself a glass. "You good to drive, babe?" as he looked over at his wife?" He was going to need this shot, because he was about to toss a hand grenade into his best friends relationship.

"Nope! It's an Uber kind of night."

"Bae, you want to call that Uber, we should get home to that sitter." He paused knowing it would take a driver a bit to get to the house. "You're not going to like what I think. But it needs to be Livan. Duarte needs to know what's up. He needs to know why you two had, have this connection that he will never have with Ginny, and that it's okay. Otherwise there could be other issues that come up. Pitchers and catchers need to trust each other, you both know this better than anyone else and if you think about it long enough, you'll realize I'm right." He downed his drink. Now that the verbal grenade was tossed, he wanted to leave, quickly. "This has been quite the evening. Not what I was expecting. Our best friends - dating." He said with a little headshake.

Mike corrected him, "Your best friends – In love." And with that correction, Blip and Evelyn gave a congratulatory hug to the couple. Good bye's were said and the Sanders headed off for the night.

After Blip and Evelyn left, Mike and Ginny stared at one another. "Table the Livan conversation until tomorrow?" Ginny asked. It was just late enough and she didn't want to get into any deep discussions this late in the evening. For now, she just wanted her big bear of a man, to hold her until she fell asleep. Mike kissed her and didn't argue.

**-Next Morning-**

Ginny could smell the coffee brewing, and pancakes on the griddle. Mike was up, and probably aiming to soften her to his way of thinking. She headed down to join him. But not without tossing on his favorite t-shirt. She paused at the top of the stairs. Coffee and pancakes be damned, she stood there and looked at him working away in the kitchen. She could imagine life - post baseball, with kids, out of the limelight. It was a life with him she wanted. Who ever they chose to monitor their professionalism in the clubhouse didn't seem so important anymore.

Ginny had paused at the top of the stairs in his favorite worn out shirt. Is there anything that woman didn't look good in. He had this image of her pregnant years from now filling out that shirt. Patience. She needs to have her time, for her career first. Just because he was ready for kids, didn't make it right to assume she was. He was ending his career, she was just starting.

She sat down at the bar top. "So, who do you want to tell our sweet little secret too?" Ginny asked as she sipped on her freshly brewed coffee.

"Livan. Blips right. We both know it. I don't like it, he's a hot head, but it's the right thing to do." Mike responded.

"When's the last time I told you I loved you?" She said.

"Every time you look at me."

 


	7. Spring Training

They had spent Thanksgiving and Christmas apart. Ginny with her mom and Mike with his, mainly out of obligation. But mostly to avoid causing suspicion. They hated those few days apart. Living in their little bubble had been wonderful. It's not that they couldn't keep their hands off one another, it's that they just loved to be near each other. Without the pressure of fighting their feelings, they appreciated every moment of the day together. They could make fun of one another all while delivering sweet little kisses. They didn't need to agree on everything either. They had their little arguments of what movie to watch, bickered about pizza toppings and didn't always see eye to eye on politics. But they always fell asleep, entangled limbs, as though their bodies were made for the other.

Ginny was elated she would be at spring training, but it meant sleeping separate from Mike. This, she was not looking forward to. Catchers and pitchers had to arrive a few days before the rest of the team, on February 14th, Valentines day. So they would celebrate a day early. Mike knew Ginny had never celebrated Valentines with a boyfriend before, and seeing as they had to report to spring training on the 14th, he needed to make sure she didn't feel like she lost out again.

Mike had ordered food in from their favorite place and had her favorite beer on hand roses in the center of the dining table that was perfectly set. He dim the lights and even dressed up in a suite. He "picked" her up in her room and escorted her downstairs to a candle lit dinner for just them. He was a little nervous for some reason. He wasn't sure why. It's not like he was taking her out in public, or proposing to her. As he walked her down the stairs, he looked over at her in her black dress. The same dress she wore the night he almost left for Chicago. It was that night he realized he might have a chance with her. And it hit him… All this time living together and it had been easy. But it was about to get very real, very difficult. And he hadn't had to really work at this relationship because without any outside pressure, they were perfect. Tonight was the first time he had made an effort to impress her. Had he gone too far? Or not far enough?

Ginny looked at the table, then over at Mike, "I don't think we've ever used that table since I moved in." She grabbed his hand a little tighter and leaned into him. Dinner went off without a hitch. Mike played both server and date extraordinaire. Mike cleaned up dinner, and Ginny came over… "house keeper coming tomorrow?"

"Yes, but I've never liked leaving my dishes for her to do."

"Just once, can we leave it?" She had a worried look on her face that Mike initially misread.

"Did I mess up your Valentines? I'm sorry I couldn't take you out. And I figured any piece of jewelry would just cause talk in the locker room."

"No, this was perfect, come on." She took his hand and started to lead him hu the stairs. "This is our last night in the same bed for a while, and I don't want to lose a moment."

**\- Next day -**

They took separate Ubers to the airport even though they were on the same flight. Tommy and Livan and two other pitchers were on their flight as well.

Mike sat next to Ginny while waiting to board. Quietly he asked her while looking at his phone, "What was that look for last night? Before we went up to bed? Is everything okay?" Just then they announced first class boarding. Fortunately, all of them were in first class.

Ginny got up, and as she picked up her bag, she whispered, "I'm not looking forward to sleeping alone tonight."

Both Ginny and Mike slept the entire flight, neither got much sleep the night before. Mike snored next to Tommy, Ginny sat next to a lady and her spoiled toddler. Neither minded. They had to transfer in Pheonix, and a short bus ide to Peoria from there. Livan sat next to Ginny for this last leg. It was a great chance for them to catch up. Livan's girlfriend was able to make it out of Cuba and he spent most of his off-season in his own bubble with her. He hadn't heard Mike and Ginny were roommates. He didn't realize Ginny was being sent back down to the minors after spring training. He didn't know Blip's wife was opening a restaurant (and frankly didn't care about this last one).

Their laughter drove Mike crazy. This time not out of jealousy, that Ginny might fall for Livan. He was confident enough in their feelings about each other. He just wanted to be the one making her laugh, enjoying the laugh.

The group got checked into the hotel and had their first practice. In the locker room afterwards, Mike invited Livan out for a drink. This really through him off guard, but he accepted, he was a little suspicious, but more curious what the grumpy captain wanted. "Meet me in the lobby in 30. I know a bar down the street." Mike barked.

A little more than 30 minutes later the guys were walking down the street. A few locals asked to snap pictures of them. Livan eagerly jumped at the chance. Mike begrudgingly agreed. "So I've come to terms that my knees can't take as many games as I want to play. And that means you'll get to play more games." Mike started before they even got to the bar. "I want as much continuity between us, so no matter who's on the mound, they know they can trust either of us. I except we'll both take different approaches, but I want us on the same page." Mike stopped at the door and opened it up to let the younger player in. Livan was floored, "But don't get me wrong, I'm still Captain." Mike finished.

Mike led them to a corner booth where Livan noticed Ginny sitting in it. He wasn't expecting. "He Mami! Didn't expect to see you here." Duarte said and started to slide in next to her.

"Sorry, this seat is reserved." Ginny immediately waived him off only the way a pitcher could do to a catcher. Mike sat next to her and Duarte across.

"So you two get along better now that you're roomies and all?" Duarte asked?

"You could say so." Ginny laughed. "Which is why we asked you here. We have a huge favor to ask, and it requires keeping a big secret. On the up side, you get to haul Mike's ass into Al's office if he screw's up."

"Keep talking, you've got me interested."

"This is serious and could really hurt the team if it get's out. So secrecy. Are you in?"

By the look on his face, Livan was starting to realize the gravity of what he was about to learn. "For you Mami, anything. Still working on trusting him." He said with a wink.

"Once I come back up, you will be my catcher for most of the games I play. But when Mike is my catcher we need you to pay attention. If you see any calls that aren't in the best interest of the team, of a win, you need to let Al know." Ginny said

"Okay, but as much as I hate to admit, you two have a chemistry on the field that just works. Shouldn't he continue to be your catcher?" Livan answered.

Mike's turn, "We feel it is best for the team if we don't play together too much." He turned and looked at her, their eyes met and in an instant Livan knew. Unlike Blip, they never needed to confirm verbally anything else. Livan just nodded his head up and down. He waived for their waitress. "We need another round, we're celebrating tonight."

"Not too much, in fact this is my only night drinking while were here." Ginny responded.

"Yes, but I have a good feeling about this season, and I think you both do, too. I see it in your eyes." They conversation continued and they were able to joke with one another as they each finished their second round. From that point forward, there was a new bond between them. It had some growing to do, but a foundation had been laid.

Livan was still a hot head. But there was a new level of respect between he and the team Captain. Livan started to view his Captain as less of roadblock to being the primary Catcher, that made him more open to listening to coaching from the senior player. Later in the season, this made trusting Livan easier for Ginny once she was called back up. Blip was right. Livan needed to know.

**\- Four weeks in -**

Every night Mike had taken to Skype calling Ginny. It was time for the couple to reconnect. They missed being in the same bed. But unlike other couples that were separated for work, they at least got see each other during the day. They had promised not to sneak into hotel rooms, and were holding true to this.

However, Mike was becoming more grumpy as the days wore on. He missed his Rookie next to his side at night. Skype was a poor substitute. In the locker room, they guys teased him about not getting any action at night, needing to go to the local bars and hook up with someone for the night to relieve some tension. This only made him more mad. Blip and Livan stood by and had to say nothing. Ginny would use that as her cue to exit to her private changing area.

"Baker, my office after you change out," Al yelled. They had only a few games left in spring training. She and Mike had hoped for a few days back in San Diego before she was sent back to the minors. She entered Al's make-shift office. "I hate to do this to you, but I need to send you down now. They need a catcher. You're on a flight out tomorrow, playing the day after."

"Does this mean I won't get back to San Diego for a while?" Ginny asked.

"Sorry to do this to you and Mike, but like you said, team first."

"I know Al. I'll go pack now. Mind if I tell Mike?"

"Sure. And text me weekly and let me know how you are feeling. I've asked the trainer there to send me reports after each game. I gave specific instructions that you are only to play no more than every four days. If they play you more often, you call me."

"Got it coach!"

By the time she got back to the locker room is was empty other than Livan and Mike, who were both waiting to see what Al wanted. "I don't get to finish out here with the team. I leave tomorrow."

"It's okay Mami, you'll be back before you know it. It's only because you need to rehab. We'll see you soon enough."

Mike stormed off straight to his hotel and up to his room. She knew he needed a few minutes. Instead, Ginny went to her room. She ordered room served for two - delivered to Mikes room and finished packing up her stuff in her room, then headed over to his room.

Mike answered the door, "What are you doing here? We promised."

She entered, shut the door promptly, then kissed him long and hard. "They promised I'd be here for all of spring training." She looked over at the food, went and started eating, "You gonna to join me?"

He sat down and ate in silence. "So we knew this wasn't going to be easy, and this is our first real challenge. We'll win. But, they bent the rules, so I'm bending the rules. I don't get a few nights back in San Diego with you, so I'm taking half a night with you. You better be prepared to be tired at the office tomorrow, hun." She said with a smirk.

How did she do that? Take an awful situation, and make it just a little better. She had to leave at 4:00 in the morning. She woke him up just enough to make sure he knew she was leaving. It was the first time she'd seen him close to crying. "We can do this. It's you and me, all the way."

"Text me when you get there, Beautiful. I love you."

"Back at you Captain."


	8. Blackout

About two weeks into their forced separation, Mike had four days off and was able to sneak away for two nights to see Ginny. He didn't tell her he was coming, thought it would be a nice little surprise. And outside of San Diego and LA, he could go pretty much go unnoticed when he wore a hat and avoided eye contact.

He sat in the stands behind her dugout. Quietly watching. Even after being her catcher for a year, he still admired her strength on the field, not as a woman, as a player. She pitched the first five innings, until she was pulled to keep her arm fresh. Her team won. Once she was in the locker room he called, a few times actually. She was in the shower the first two times. The third time she answered… "Geez, old man, anxious much?"

"Great game today, babe!" and then he mentioned a few things a person would only know if the were in the stadium. It's not like they broadcast these games nationally.

"I know!... Right." She paused and then it hit her "How'd you know that?"

"I'm rental car in front of the stadium. I'd really like it if you could get out here as quick as possible. Look for a black Ford Mustang." And with that Ginny hung up on him, grabbed her stuff and went running through the locker room. She hadn't really taken the time to get to know any of the guys well, but they still were curious what the rush was all about.

Mike leaned across the passenger seat to help open the door. Even though it was almost 10:00 at night, he didn't want to draw too much attention to them by getting out and risk anyone recognizing them together. She shut the door and looked at him in awe… "How?"

"I can tell you how, or you can tell me where to go. I'd rather get to the kissing part in your hotel room." She gave him instructions to get the few miles from the ballpark where she was staying for the series. "I'm in room 323. Drop me off on the side. Then meet me up there in a few minutes. We still shouldn't be seen in the lobby together."

She was pacing in her room. Where was he? It seemed like it had been an hour – it had only been 20 minutes. Finally the door knock came. She opened it. "Where have you…" He shut the door, and shut her mouth with a kiss - a very long over due kiss. It was one of those moments when Ginny appreciated his physical stature; she had started to forget how attracted she was to him. She had to be so strong as a female in this sport. But when she was with Mike, she was just a woman in love, she felt his equal, and didn't need to worry about being 'sized up' or judged around him.

"Some fans recognized me in the lobby. I did a few photo's and signatures. Don't worry, I said I was catching up with an old high school friend." Not much else was said that evening. They talked on the phone all the time, no need for words right now. This was time they needed to physically reconnect. They ordered room service, watched a movie in bed, and were nearly inseparable for those 12 hours.

Tomorrow was Sunday and she had to be back in the stadium by 10:00 am. "I hate to ask, but when do you have to leave?"

"I'm on the first flight out Monday morning. We have another night." But they still would be separated during the game. "Since you pitched yesterday, it's unlikely you'll pitch today. Mind if I stay here and do some work for my car dealership? I can pick you up after the game."

"It's probably best to stay out of sight. I'll text you when I'm done." As she started to leave, she turned to him, "Hey Mike,"

"I know, you love me." He said in his slightly arrogant tone. She rolled her eyes, smiled and left.

That night after the game was basically a repeat of the night before. "I need you. Needed to see you. Blip said I was getting more grumpy than normal."

"I'm hoping Al will call me back up soon. And this will be over."

"About that…" Ginny hadn't brought it up. She must not know. "They just signed a new pitcher from Puerto Rico. Didn't you see that in the news? Blip and I asked how that would affect you. Al and Oscar said they just wanted to see how he worked with the team. He may be back here and then bring you up. This could be good, or bad news."

Ginny realized in an effort to make time go by faster, she had been avoiding contact with the outside world. She needed to pay more attention to the San Diego news and get reconnected with her teammates.

The next morning was a combination of mixed emotions. The hotel room was filled with love, a deep love. And a sadness of having to part, not knowing when they would see each other again. They had looked at their schedules, and they just didn't align for at least two months. Their only hope was Ginny being called back up to the Padres.

**\- Called up -**

Another three weeks. Three weeks of Mike turning grumpy again. Three weeks of Ginny reconnecting with her teammates via social media and paying closer attention to her new found home in San Diego. But still three weeks of only phone calls and talking via Skype for Mike and Ginny.

After three weeks, Ginny finally got a call from Oscar. "Baker, I'm here in Al's office, I have you on speaker phone. I hear you're back to normal, even your screwball is looking good. Ready to come home?"

"You have no idea, Sir!" Ginny tried to respond as calmly as possible.

"Remember our deal, your starts will be spaced out to keep you fresh. No arguments." Al said.

"Got it. You're the boss. I'm not going to push it this year. Does Mike know?"

"Not yet… He's walking by my office now, hold on." Al responded.

Ginny could hear Al barking down the hall, "Lawson, my office NOW!"

"Sir." Was all he responded, as Al shut the door.

"We have a staffing change for you to prepare for," Al mumbled. There was a moment of silence. Mike didn't realize Ginny was on the phone. "Baker, why don't you let Captain know?"

Mike instantly knew, "Mike, I'm coming home. I'll see you tomorrow!" Ginny tried not to yell through the speaker.

Mike didn't even try to hide his excitement and let out a huge yell.

There was a noticeable change in Mike the rest of the day. The Padres won their last home game in this series the Cubs and everyone felt like celebrating, especially Mike.

That night most of the team went out to a local club. Mike had way too much to drink.

...

...

The next day he felt like a truckload of bricks had been dumped on his head. He wasn't even sure how he made it home. The last thing he remembered was dancing… He was dancing, he was that drunk.

He needed to sober up and get rid of this epic hangover. Ginny would be home in a few hours and he didn't want her to see him like this.

A few hours went by and Mike had sent Ginny a few texts…

[Let me know when you've landed]

[Love you]

[Can't wait to see you]

But she hadn't responded. He looked up her flight online and it was on time. So where was she? Finally she heard from her via text.

[staying at hotel tonight]

[can't talk to you rt now]

[we'll talk after practice]

Mike called her wondering what the hell happened. He didn't want to wait until after practice. Yesterday, she couldn't wait to get home. Now she wouldn't come to their home or talk? She didn't answer.

He didn't sleep at all that night. His mood in the locker room the next day was back to bad. Meanwhile Ginny walked in and her team began to clap for her. It was good to be back. She had worked hard not just to get back to Mike, but to get back to this, the Majors.

She joked around with the guys a bit, as Mikes sat grumpy in his chair. Tommy asked, "So where are you staying? Moving back in with that old man? Or are you finally going to get a palace of your own?"

"Not sure yet, I just landed last night and I'm staying at a hotel right now. Mike's been nice enough to store my stuff while I've been out of town, but I don't want to wear out my welcome." She looked over at him and walked off to her private room to change.

He followed her and entered and locked the door behind them. He kissed her, which she hesitated before she pushed him off.

"Not here, and not after what you did."

"What did I do? I got you flowers at the house?"

Ginny pulled out her cell phone and pulled up a few pictures of him on social media with a beautiful blonde giving him a lap dance. One of their teammates innocently posted it to social media, having no clue the fallout it would cause.

"You can explain this to me after practice." But then when she looked at his face, she had to ask… "Can you explain this to me?"

He couldn't, he had no memory of most of the night. He was celebrating Ginny coming home and completely blacked out. "Gin, I would never cheat on you. You have to believe that."

"But can you say that with certainty? From the look on your face, I don't think so. Out, I need to change and get ready for practice."

Mike obliged and left. He ran into Blip, finally, maybe he could answer. "Hey man, what they hell happened last night?" There were to many ears around to bring Ginny into this part of the conversation.

But Blip responded, "I drove your drunk ass home. That's what happened. You're welcome, by the way…. Wait you don't remember?"

"Damn… I stepped in it this time."

"Don't worry, I hauled your fat ass off before you did anything dumb. Nothing that would mess anything up permanently." Blip said.

Now Mike just needed to get through practice and let Ginny know. "If you could let her know that as well…" Mike whispered.


	9. Tape Recorder

**\- Thursday -**

As practice progressed, it was clear that Ginny had been working hard and earned her way to a spot on a major league baseball team. She was not a novelty, not just the first female player at her level, she was an asset to the Padres.

Mike on the other hand was off his game. And boy was it noticeable. It's a good thing today was just practice, but they had a home game tomorrow, with Ginny and Livan starting. About 20 minutes in Livan took notice… "Hey Cap, can I have a word?" motioning off to the side.

Mike headed over to Livan, who had also walked just far enough away from other teammates to not be heard. "Whatch 'ya need?"

"You and Baker… You still a thing?" Livan hadn't paid much attention to their relationship once Ginny left. He was pretty self involved, and if it didn't affect him, he didn't much care.

"Yes, well I think so. But she's pissed as hell at me. Do we need to talk about this right now." Mike responded.

"Yeah Papi…, you asked me to call either of you out if were making bad decisions based on your relationship. Ginny is rockin' it today. But you man… Get it together. Fight or no fight with her - Get your head in it. I start tomorrow, but you're up the Saturday. You have two days to figure your stuff out." And with that Duarte turned and walked away.

Mike stood there a little stunned. Did he just get called out by Duarte, yup. Blip and Ginny both watched the whole exchange go down and were thankful Livan was able to tell Mike what they weren't able to say. They were too close to Mike emotionally, for Mike to really listen to them. But Livan had no emotional ties to Mike, he just wanted to win games, and had been tasked by his Captain to help keep he and Ginny focused on winning.

Mike's focus that practice got a little better. He still wasn't playing at 100%. But he was thankful for bringing Livan into their situation. He still had job to do. After practice he ran up next to Ginny, "So, do you want to go back to the house to talk?" Hoping that the privacy and the memories of their home would help the reconciliation along. But what he really needed most was to remember what happened that led to those pictures being taken.

"Not the house… Let's go for a drive…" Ginny responded.

"What ever you want." And with that, they both went to shower and change. Mike was dressed first and waiting in the locker room. Once Ginny finished, she headed towards they guys locker room, but ran into Blip first. He spoke to her quietly in the hall. "Hey Ginny, he didn't do anything other than what you saw in the photos. I was with him the whole night. I drove him home. He loves you, you know that."

"You were with him?! Did you know how drunk he was?" She asked.

"I knew his was pretty bad when I saw him dancing. But I didn't realize he was that drunk until the blonde backed up to him to start the lap dance and he just sat there. I went over to tell him how pissed you'd be, only to realize he was half asleep. I woke him up and he walked out by himself. I had no idea he didn't remember anything until I spoke to him before practice. Look, I like you two together, and don't want to see one stupid picture screw this up."

"You promise me nothing else happened?"

"Promise. You know me… I have your back Baker." Blip wrapped his arm around her. Now go make up."

"Eventually, we will. It killed me to see those images. And then to hear the guys teasing him about all the girls he could have had last night if you hadn't taken him home early."

"Trust me, he would have just passed next to anyone trying to take advantage of him. Now, go talk to him." And with that Blip gave her a push down the hall the way a big brother would nudge his little sister.

Mike noticed the tail end of their conversation and hoped his co-captain had lobbied on his behalf. As Ginny approached he asked "So Baker… miss the ocean? Wanna go hit some golf balls at Torrey Pines?" There were still other players and staff around, so they tended to refer to each other by their last names.

"Sure Lawson. But I have dinner plans with Ev, so I need to be back at my hotel by 7."

"So Blip saved your ass today…" Ginny started once they got in the car.

"Remind me to thank him. Does that mean we can get your stuff from the hotel?" and he went to grab her hand.

"I'm not ready to move back in yet. This was a little bit of a wake up call for me. I had a moment where I didn't trust you. And we are going to have many more public situations to navigate without one another. Now that we are both in the same town, it's only going to make it harder."

"Ginny," he started while still holding her hand as they drove up the coast, "I was only drinking because I was so excited to have you home. I feel like I'm being punished for wanting you back."

"Why didn't I trust you, why didn't I ask you if there was more to the story than just those few pictures?"

With that, Mike pulled over into a parking lot of a little shopping center. She had asked a question he had no idea how to respond to. "Other than those stupid pictures - which Blip explained, I've done nothing but love you, and only you. Is it that you don't trust me, or that you are scared and looking for a reason to get out of this relationship? Because I'm not letting go of you that easily. I never once cheated on Rachel until _**she**_ moved out. I've never cheated on you, and if I ever had any interest in cheating, I would leave you first, I don't cheat. So spill Ginny Baker. What is going on?"

Tears started welling up in her eyes. He had called her out, he knew her better than she knew herself sometimes. "I jumped to conclusions about the pictures and the first thing that came to my mind was 'I worked so hard to get back to San Diego for a guy, not for myself.' Then I walked into the locker room the next day to be greeted by my team and I forgotten the other reason why I wanted to get back to San Diego. Somehow I lost sight of the game. What if our relationship causes me to loose focus on the game? I don't know if I can choose between both of you. I just need a little time."

"I'll give you time., but I don't think you need it. You can be a ball player and be in love." He lifted her hand to his beard and gently kissed it. "I'm not going anywhere and I'm not loosing you. Not to a stupid drunk night, not to a few pictures captured at just the wrong moment. Not to a baseball game, nope. I told you, I'm all in." He started the car and turned back around and took her back to her hotel. "Baker… this isn't some middle school, crush where I give you a carnation as ask you to go to the dance."

"I never went to my Middle school dance." Ginny laughed.

"Well at least I can still get you to smile."

"Always, Old man."

They never made it to hit golf balls. He dropped her off out front of her hotel. It's not like he could lean over and kiss her. It was too public. He looked at her, and just wondered how all of this went sideways so fast. What was going on in her head that she wasn't telling him?

"See you at the game tomorrow." She squeezed his hand and left holding back tears.

**\- Friday -**

Mike wasn't going down without a fight. He planned on making sure she knew she was loved. He may be giving Ginny her personal space to figure out what ever she was going through. He still didn't really understand. All he knew was he was sleeping alone at night while the woman he loved was across town in a sterile hotel room.

When Ginny arrived to the locker room that afternoon, two dozen pink carnations had arrived.

The card read: **"Will you go to the dance with me? Check [ ] YES or [ ] NO"**

Most of the guys in the locker room had a ton of fun teasing her about the flowers and how cheesy the carnations were. Tommy was concerned they might be from a stalker. Blip could tell by the look on Mike's face, and that he wasn't teasing Ginny, they were from Mike.

Ginny just smiled. She knew they were from Mike. She went to her locker room to change for the game and sent Mike a text [YES… I'll be your date to the dance, but only if I can wear an '80's style blue taffeta dress.]

Fast forward a few hours… Ginny had a great first game back with the Padres, but they had another game tomorrow, so no fun tonight.

**\- Saturday -**

The next day, Ginny arrived to the locker room to find an old school, 1980's tape recorder with a post it note on it. On the post it, there was an arrow that said 'PUSH ME' pointing to the PLAY button. Again, the team had fun teasing her and gathered around to see what would play. A song came on that Ginny remembered from a movie Mike made her watch more than once during the off-season.

Mike loved the movie Top Gun. So when the song "You've lost that lovin' feeling" by Berlin came on, Ginny couldn't help but laugh so lough that she put her hand over her mouth. Tommy was still convinced she had a stalker. The other guys were wondering who this guy was?

Back in her locker room she sent Mike another text to acknowledge his gift… [Room 405, after the game.]

Mike didn't see the text until after the game, which is probably a good thing since he was catching instead of Duarte. He had seen Ginny smile, and that was enough for him to focus on the game in front of him. It wasn't until he was back in the locker room after the game that he saw her text. He shouted out a huge "Yes!"

About an hour later, he was knocking on her hotel door. "I knew you couldn't resist the beard for too long." He leaned in to kiss her.

She kept the kiss short. "Don't get too many ideas. I want to take it slow. I ordered a pizza and want to watch a movie – not Top Gun. But you're going home tonight. Got it."

"You're the boss." Mike settled in on the couch and Ginny leaned in next to him. She forgot how comfortable she felt next to him. She needed to tell Mike what was really bothering her. Not tonight. She just wanted to be next to him for this moment. After they had eaten pizza and the movie ended, he stood up and put his hand out to pull her up close to him. "I'm leaving tonight. But not because I want to." Then he kissed her and she didn't cut this kiss off short. It was the reunion kiss he had wanted since her plane landed.

When the kiss finally ended, Mike leaned up to kiss her forehead, "See you tomorrow." And he headed to the door. Just before he exited, he turned to her and said "hey Baker…"

"I know, you love me…" She was starting to get as snarky as Mike.

**\- Sunday -**

Ginny arrived before Sunday's game to find a hat that said BOSS in bold letters with a card that's said "I'm you're biggest cheerleader." She headed to change for the game and texted Mike, [I can't wait to see you in a short skirt with pom poms]. This text he got before the game. He had to show Blip, and they both got a good laugh out of that. Blip responded "man, I never want to see you in any sort of skirt, your legs are too hairy."

Neither Mike or Ginny was starting the game that Sunday. But Ginny didn't say anything about what would happen after the game. Mike looked at her during the game to see if he could get a response. Nothing, she was engaged with the game, and he wasn't going to push it. After the game he didn't have a chance to talk to her with out anyone else around, so he texted [plans this evening Rook?]

No response. He'd call her later. He didn't want to risk being seen at in her room again, so he'd need to settle for a talking.

He got home and called. Still no response. They were leaving for Florida in the morning, so he went upstairs to his room to put a quick bag together. He was almost done when he heard something at the door. He went out to the stairs to see Ginny standing in the entryway with her bags.

"Hotel was getting expensive." She joked.

He practically flew downstairs to her and grabbed her in a huge hug. "Can't breath Lawson."

"So are you home for good?" He asked.

"We need to talk first." She went to the fridge and grabbed a beer for both of them. They moved over and sat on the couch.

"Mike, I was late last month…" She looked at him and it was clear he didn't get it. "I thought I was pregnant for about 48 hours, and I panicked. I'm not, by the way, and I went and got on the pill, but we're still using condoms."

"Why didn't you tell me, babe."

"Mike, I know you can't wait to start a family, but I'm not ready, and I may not be ready to have kids for another 5 to 10 years. I'm not sure how I can be a mom, be pregnant and a professional ball player on your timeline. So when I saw those pictures of you, I worried that you might be thinking the same thing. Maybe we're not compatible long-term when it comes to marriage and family and the real important things."

"Gin, you're right, I want a family, but while the guys joke about me being 'old.' I'm not _**that old**_. I'd rather wait 'til I'm 50 to have kids with the right person, than rush into something with the wrong person in the next few years."

"So you're my biggest cheerleader?" She asked, and clinked their beer bottles together.

"The absolute biggest." And he took her beer from her and leaned in to kiss her. That night, he finally got share his bed again with the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Too bad they had to spend the next few nights apart in Florida. But they had their home to come back to, and that was good enough for now.


	10. Trade Deadline

The next few months went by and Ginny and Mike settled into a routine. They rarely showed up anywhere together, as in the same car. Yes, it had been established Ginny moved back in as Mikes' roommate, but they wanted everyone to continue to think all was well and platonic between them. If the team went to a bar, Mike might buy a drink for a few ladies. But the following morning, he would send flowers or something silly to Ginny in the locker room to reminder her it was all for "show." And never, did he allow him self to get drunk in public again, for fear of doing anything damaging.

After one particular team night out, Mike had bought a few ladies drinks. But one lady wouldn't leave him alone. He figured he'd just leave the bar early. However, this young lady went as far as to follow him into his Uber. He was smart enough to call Ginny from the car and talk to her the whole ride. He made sure the driver dropped this young lady off at her house first, then took Mike home. Ginny found it a little amusing and wasn't upset at all. Still, he sent her a car air-freshner (the cheap kind that you can get for a few dollars covered in plastic) nestled in a dozen roses, with a card saying, 'for the next time you're stuck in a smelly cab.'

She texted Mike from her locker room, [you didn't tell me your Uber was stinky.]

Mike responded [The Uber was fine, the girl had on too much perfume. It reminded me of cheap air freshner.]

x-x-x-x-

Ginny finally got her first no hitter against the Rockies and Mike sent her another gift to the locker room. Of course they celebrated in private once they returned to San Diego, but he couldn't help but show her how proud he was while they were in Colorado. He sent her a box of Rocky Mountain Chocolates and inside them was her rookie card with a post it note on top that read 'Rookie no more… you're the real deal!'

Ginny's text this time [I guess you need to hang my poster in your bedroom now.]

[Why would I when I have the real thing every night] Mike texted back.

By this time half the team was impressed with this 'secret' admirer and the other half was concerned. Blip knew these gifts were from Mike and did his best to convince the group of concerned teammates that who ever this secret admirer was, he had kept his distance and not done anything else to approach her, so there was not need to be alarmed.

**\- Night out -**

Ginny had her second no hitter and the first no hitter in Petco Park, at home! The whole team went out to celebrate that night. Ginny and Mike drank a little more than usual, but they thought they were being discreet enough. Plus they had another night game tomorrow and didn't want to worry about hangovers.

But Tommy had taken notice of the way they locked at each other across the bar. Mike couldn't take his eyes off of her when she was on the dance floor with other guys. And Ginny's brow furrowed when Mike bought a drink for another woman. And then when they both ended up on the dance floor together, Mike's hands were a little too explorative on his teammate/roommate. Ginny leaned into whisper something to Mike. He nodded and they went in separate directions. Mike went to Blip then headed to the door. Ginny went to Evelyn and grabbed her purse, then also to the door. Tommy realized they were leaving together. He ran after them.

"Hey guys, they wife is a little mad at me. Mind if I crash at your pad tonight?" Tommy asked. In reality, everything was just fine. He just wanted to prevent them from doing anything they wouldn't be able to take back tomorrow. On the car ride to the house, Tommy texted his wife a quick explanation of what was going on. He knew he was a lucky man to have married someone who understood what he was doing.

Once they arrived at the house, the alcohol had finally cough up to Ginny. She stumbled upstairs, and followed her normal routine, change for bed in her room, brush her teeth, and head down the hall to the master bed she was use to sharing with Mike.

Fortunately, Mike was a little more sober and had the sense to think fast. "So Tommy, looks like I'm out of a bed tonight myself. Do you want to flip for the spare room? Loser takes the couch? Or should I be a good host and give you the room?"

"You got the couch, Old Man!" And with that Tommy marched upstairs. He left the spare room door open to make sure he could hear any other shenanigans.

The next morning Tommy woke to the smell of coffee and pancakes, Ginny's favorite after a night of drinking. Ginny was still fast asleep, but Mike was up and moving. Tommy came down and Mike kind of shoved coffee in front of him.

"I didn't peg you for the pancake kind of guy." Tommy said, grateful to have the caffeine.

"I'm not during the season, but Ginny is a bottomless pit." Mike said in a soft tone. "So about last night… I know you and your wife aren't having problems."

"Yeah, I was just afraid that they way you two were acting you might do something you would regret this morning. I didn't want you fighting me on it, and I didn't want to make a big scene and call attention to it either."

About that time, Ginny wandered down the stairs. "Hey Mike, why didn't you…" her voice trailed off as soon as she realized she and Mike weren't alone. She was planning to ask where he slept the night before, forgetting they had company. But as soon as she saw Tommy, it all came flooding back.

"Hey Gin, Tommy thought we were a little to, uh, flirty last night. That's why he really came home with us." Mike and Ginny stared at each other as Ginny walked across the room from the bottom of the stairs to the kitchen.

"I see. You're a good friend. But you have nothing to worry about." She walked over and stood next to Mike, leaned in and gave Mike a kiss on the cheek. "Morning babe, I think we may have shared a little too much, and Tommy here figured out our little secret last night."

The kiss took Mike by surprise, because she was so casual about sharing this with Tommy. But he kissed her back on the lips, and wrapped his one free hand around her waist, continuing to cook with his other hand.

Tommy sat there in disbelief.

Ginny continued, taking control of the morning. "I need coffee…" She demanded, which Mike obliged. "We plan on telling the whole team in a few days anyway, so no harm in telling Tommy now" she looked over at Mike. He just shrugged his shoulders. When she set her mind to something, he knew to get out of her way. "We've never been 'just roommates' we've been in a relationship this whole time." Ginny started. She went on and told Tommy the whole story and allowed him time to let it sink in and ask questions.

"But we need you to keep this quiet a few more days. We plan on telling the team, but only those who make it past the trade deadline. We don't want our secret going to any other team." Mike final stepped in.

Tommy was finally able to congratulate them, sort of. It was just so weird for him to think of two teammates dating.

After Tommy left, Mike realized something… "He Gin, in all our secrecy, we haven't even told our family about us. I mean I told my mom I was in love and she keeps asking when she'll get to meet the woman. But when are we going to tell our family?

"You can tell you mom when ever you want. We can have her over for dinner if you'd like. But I'm not ready to tell my mom or my brother until we go public. I just don't trust either of them. I'm sorry, but I don't."

All Mike did was hold her. He didn't say anything, just gave her a hug.

**\- Trade Deadline -**

The trade deadline passed and the core team stayed intact. Al called a team meeting, prior to practice the day after. At the front of the room stood Al, Mike, Blip, Buck and Ginny.

The team was used to their coaches and a captain up front, but why was Ginny up there? Al started, "Not much to discuss before practice today, as you can see, we lost a few players, and we'll have a few new faces by end of day. Before those new faces arrive, your captain has something to say."

"Some of you have noticed and made comments this season that Ginny and I don't play in games together very often. It's not because we don't work well together. Fortunately, Ginny is great with what ever catcher is behind home plate." Ginny tried not to blush. "But it's because Ginny and I have been keeping our distance from one another on the field to ensure we are making decisions in the best interest of the team."

At this point, you could see many of the guys shift in their seats. That is except Livan and Tommy. Livan was in his own world, looking at something on his phone, no interest in this announcement. Tommy, just glad he didn't have to keep the secret too long and they were holding true to their word.

Mike continued, "Before spring training, Ginny and I disclosed a personal relationship to management, as any working professional should disclose to their supervisor. We decided to split as many games as possible and make sure the media didn't find out about our relationship." You could have heard a pin drop in the room.

Everyone turned to Ginny, "We are trusting you, we trust you. If you remember last year what a media fiasco just having me on the team was. We didn't want the additional media attention taking away from the great season we are having. So we are hoping you will all keep this secret. But we believe so much in our team, that it didn't seem right to keep this from you any longer than necessary. Now that the trade deadline has passed, and we're all here for the rest of the season… well you're in on the secret."

Sal was the first one to speak up, "Who all knew? Seriously, I had no idea."

Mike responded "We told Al, Oscar and Buck a few weeks before spring training. We told Blip as co-captain a week before spring training – we also figured it would keep his wife from trying to set either of us up on dates throughout the season the way she always has." This got a laugh out of everyone. "Livan was told the first day of spring training so he would understand why he would be playing with Ginny mostly and to be able to call us out if we weren't making calls in the best interest of the team. And well Tommy figured it out in the club the other night because we couldn't keep our eyes off each other."

Al…"Any other questions you can ask them later, we have practice as normal. Remember, they have been dating this entire season, so today's practice, tomorrows' game, should be business as usual."

As they headed out to practice, Omar asked, "So all those secret admire gifts must have really driven you crazy?"

"Nope, I sent them." Mike responded.

Tommy then said, "whoa, the old man still has some game. Maybe that's why Ginny fell for this lumberjack."

After practice, Ginny was changing in her locker room. Mike asked Blip, "Hey man, can I borrow your wife?"

"What for?" Blip said, and not in a quiet voice.

"I want to go ring shopping. I plan to propose to Ginny. I'm not sure when the moment will be right, but I want to have ring and be ready." Mike responded. And with that he got a great big 'man' hug from his co-captain, followed by a few high-fives and congrats from other teammates.


	11. Surprise Visitor

Before Mike and Ginny told the team about their personal relationship, they guys thought nothing of women trying to pass their number to Lawson during the game, waiting for him after the game or hitting on him at a bar. Now that they new Mike was off the market, they suddenly felt very awkward about it. Ginny knew that they needed to keep up the appearance that Mike was still a bachelor, so she had become his "wingman" for appearances.

So when a wanna-be groupie would try to pass along a number, Ginny was there to grab it and make a big deal of getting the number to him in the dug out. When a young lady wanted his attention after the game, Ginny would grab him by the arm and drag him over to at least sign autographs.

It was most intrusive at the bars, when women would literally push themselves on him. She had learned to trust him. He kept his hands in view for all to see, one on his beer, the other on the bar top. If he ever took a picture with a woman, he made sure that both hands were visible in the picture, one hand on a beer, one hand on a shoulder. Hands always above the shoulder. He didn't want to be accused of even so much as being accused of groping a woman.

One particular night a week before the playoffs started, a group of the players were out at a bar. Omar asked Ginny in front of a few of the guys, "doesn't it make your blood boil to see him hanging out with these women night after night?"

"You know, I think it drove me more crazy before we were dating. Now I look at all of these beautiful women that he clearly could have his choice of. But every night, every day he chooses me. Look at him…" They pause and when you look closely, you can tell even from across the bar, Mike is putting on a show, that has a time limit. He keeps looking at his watch. He'll make small talk, and then look around the room to see where Ginny is. "When I'm ready to leave, or when he's ready, all it takes is a simple nod that we're done. We each choose each other every day, without words."

"Damn, that's some next level stuff you have there." Tommy responds.

Ginny blushes a little. "Behind closed doors, yes. Don't let that old man fool you. He makes me feel like I'm the center of his universe. In the clubhouse or out on the field, I'm just Baker, and he's still my grumpy Captain."

About 20 minutes later, Ginny smiles at Mike and nods towards the door. They guys watch as Mike subtly said his goodbye's to his entourage a few minutes later. Ginny was right. Its just a show, and he just wants to be with Ginny.

**\- First Playoff Game -**

After as many seasons with the playoffs as Mike had, most of the town new about Mike's celibacy vow during the playoffs. He didn't hold true to this when he was married to Rachel. It really only came about as a way to reduce distractions during the post-season. He viewed his relationship with Ginny as something close to that of marriage, but they weren't married.

"So Gin, about my post-season ritual…" he asked the morning of the first playoff game. They were cuddled in bed, warm, lying tangled in each others limbs.

"I forgot about that… I think that's how I 'got' the great Mike Lawson almost a year ago." Ginny responded. "So what are you going to do? Do I need to move into _**my**_ bedroom for a few weeks?" And Ginny gave Mike a little tickle in the side.

"You're not going anywhere. It just made me think, the only other time I didn't abstain was when I was married, and well…. to me, this is a 'forever' type thing we have going on here. So no celibacy?"

Ginny froze for a moment. They had said 'all in' a number of times. Their _ **I love you's**_ were never in short supply. But to hear him say _**marriage**_ to her, _**forever**_ to her, sank in deep.

Mike continued after a moment, "I hope I didn't just freak you out, no panic attacks before our first game, Rookie."

With that Ginny sat up, "I need to make something very clear to you Mr. Lawson. I don't need a ring, or a piece of paper saying I'm yours or you're mine. I'm with you until the end. You're right. This is a forever _**thing**_ we have here. If you have any fears about getting married again, don't, I don't need that, I just need you." Mike pulled her down into a kiss, warm ups be damned, they were going to be a little late.

About 20 minutes before the game, Al had the whole team ready to go in the locker room. Coaches and Captains in front of the room, giving their speeches to energize the team. As each of them took turns, something around Mike's neck caught Ginny's eye. As they headed down the hall and out to the field, she asked "What's up with the new hardware around your neck? You're not a jewelry kind of guy?"

"I figured I needed something else to focus on since I'm not going celibate." He said in a whisper and he winked at her "Think of it as a talisman."

Ginny went to grab for it. "Hands off Baker or you'll mess up my good juju!"

Loudly, Ginny said "Geez old man. You need to get laid, this celibacy thing really has you in a bad mood and we're only one day in. I forgot how much I hate Mike Lawson during Playoffs." And with that Ginny had the entire team laughing the rest of the way down the hall.

**\- World Series: Game 1: Surprise Visit -**

The Padres hadn't been to the World Series in nearly 20 years, here they were. As typical, Mike and Ginny arrived to the stadium separately. This day, Ginny had arrived first. Mike second, and in one of the worst moods ever. He was rude to just about everyone in the locker room, including Ginny. He was no better during the game.

Ginny had been moved from starting pitcher to relief pitcher in an effort to keep her injury free. It reduced the number of pitches she threw. She didn't like it, but she knew it was in her best interest, and best for the team. She has actually become rather good at closing out games. So during much of the playoffs, she got to hang out beyond the outfield where pitchers would keep their arms warm, instead of in the dugout. Because of this, Ginny didn't pitch this day and didn't realize just how bad Mike's mood was.

On the way back to the locker room, Blip asked Ginny, "what's up with Mike? I've seen him in bad moods before, but this was atomic level bad."

"I have no idea, he was fine when I left him at the house. But I'm about to go find out what the hell's goin' on. Where is he?" Ginny asked.

"Ice bath." Duarte responded without looking up. "Even you'll need some good luck in there, Mami."

Ginny marched down to where Mike was indeed sitting in an ice bath with a trainer nearby. She looked over at the trainer, "Can you give grumpy smurf and I minute here?"

While the trainer had no idea about their personal relationship, he could tell by her sarcastic tone, he wanted nothing to do with what ever words were about to be exchanged.

"Talk. Now." She demanded.

"Not now," he grunted, "Will you drive me home?" He'd never asked her to drive. He hated her driving. He stood up from his ice bath, completely naked, true Mike Lawson fashion. "I need to get outta here." And he turned and walked away, still naked.

"I'm only driving you home if you have clothes on!" She yelled after him.

Ginny ran to gather her things, her shower would have to wait. She found Mike sitting in the passenger seat of his car, keys already in the ignition. She got in and grabbed his hand. "Home, or do you want to drive for a bit? I mean I might stink up your car and all, but what ever you want."

"Just home." No more words were spoken until they walked through the front door. It was late and they had picked up take out. Mike was showing no signs of talking. Ginny went to shower and came back downstairs to find Mike had eaten his food and left hers neatly on the counter. She ate then went back upstairs to find him in bed, lights off.

She crawled into bed, "ready to talk yet?" as she wrapped herself around him.

"My dad showed up, asked if he and his grandson could get tickets to the sold out game today. Today… now he wants back in my life? He said his grandson is a huge fan of Mike Lawson. But he failed to tell his grandson that I was his uncle. Oh, yeah, I'm an uncle by they way." Mike was doing is best to not show any emotion, he had pretty much left all that frustration out at Petco.

Ginny pulled Mike in closer. "What did you do, say?"

"I walked over to the ticket booth, asked if there were any players tickets left and gave them to him. Then I walked away before he could say anything else to me."

"Mike, look at me." She took his bearded face in her hands. "I'm your family, this team is your family, he's your past. The past has a way of catching up to all of us. Like my nude pictures did. And look what you and the team did for me. Don't take this out on the team. That sperm donor is a jerk, but those guys in the clubhouse didn't deserve the Mike Lawson they saw today." Ginny had a way of calling Mike out and making him understand.

"It's just, I'm 37 and there's still this little boy inside of me that wanted his dad to be proud of him. I saw him and for a brief moment that little boy in me was excited. But then he didn't even acknowledge that I was his son."

"Well some day, you and I will right the wrongs of our past with _**our**_ kids. You are going to be an amazing dad that will be there for every little league game. And I can't wait to help _**our**_ daughter get dressed for the prom."

They laid there in silence for a few more minutes. "You've done it again Ginny Baker. You've found another way to blow me away."

"I love you too, you grumpy old man. Now let's get some sleep. You have a team to make-up with in the morning, and we have a late night plane ride after the game."

**\- World Series: Game 2: Making Up -**

Up until now, Mike had sent flowers, candy and other treats and gifts to Ginny incognito as a secret admirer. Not that Ginny ever got to eat the candy herself, they were usually devoured by the time they made it to her. Now it was time to do something for the rest of the team.

Ginny woke up to an empty bed. It wasn't like Mike to leave without saying bye. But he left a note 'had some work to do.'

Ginny packed her bag for the flight, they were leaving as soon as the game ended, then headed to Petco. She was one of the last to arrive, but what she arrived to was hilarious. There were various peace offerings in each players locker space from plants… to candy… to hamburgers. Mike had gotten a little something he knew that each teammate liked. For instance, a new iphone cover for Livan's phone since he had just broken his. And Tommy loved redhots.

Above Mikes locker hung a white flag he had spray painted 'grumpy old man' on. The team didn't ask Mike directly why he was in a foul mood the day before, but they were happy to move forward.

A few asked Ginny what was going on, she simply responded, "he forgot to treat you like family when things went south."

**\- World Series: Game Five: Part 1-**

The Padres were up two games in the World Series. Tonight's game was at home. Win tonight, win it all. Ginny was worried Mike's dad may make another appearance. She made some excuse about needing to be at the clubhouse early and heads out after a kiss.

She waited in the parking lot and saw a man matching the description Mike gave of his dad, with a young boy in tow. She get's out and walks up to him. "Are you looking for Mike Lawson?"

"Uhh, yes" they guy mutters.

"You're Ginny Baker! I met Mike Lawson last week. He's the coolest guy ever." They young kid squeals with excitement.

Ginny kneels down to his level. "Mike sure is pretty awesome. I'm one if his biggest fans too. Do you want me to sign anything?" and the young boy holds out a glove and sharpie. Ginny signs right next to where Mike had signed just a week before. She stood up and began to talk in a softer tone to Mike's dad.

"I don't want Mike to see you here today. He needs to focus on the game and seeing you the other day nearly killed him. I already called and I have tickets waiting for you over at the box office."

"Yes ma'am. Thanks for the tickets. Will Mike be here?" Mike's dad asked

Ginny snapped, "I don't think you should contact again him unless you are ready to really be in his life and let the rest of your family know you're his dad. Some day soon he's going to have kids himself, and they are going to ask about their grandpa. So don't show up again unless you plan on expanding your family. Mike is one of the most amazing people I know, and you would be so luck to have him in your life. You're the one missing out."

"Message received." He said and headed off to the ticket booth with his grandson.

**\- World Series: Game Five: Part 2-**

Fast-forward a few hours… It was during the seventh inning stretch, the Padres were only wining the game by one run. Ginny had been called in just one inning prior in the sixth, to pitch. She leaned over to Mike in the dugout, "Hey Lawson, where have you been keeping that little do-dad around you neck after the games are over? I know it hasn't made its way to your night stand."

"Someone's getting nosey. You're at-bat soon, focus Baker" and he elbowed her smiled. He'd been keeping it in in the locked portion of his locker. He knew she would snoop.

Two more very intense innings, but the Padres won! They WON the World Series. Ginny had been the relief pitcher when the last strike was made. Mike was first on the field. He lifted her in a huge hug and put her back down. He careful stepped a few feet back, keenly aware of the millions of people watching around the country. But as the rest of the team caught up to him he looked at her and just said, "You know I'm going to want to tell the world that I'm in love with Ginny Baker some day real soon."

The team lifted her, then their captain, up in the air to celebrate. Then almost as quickly as they lifted them, then team brought them down and moved into one of the tightest huddles ever seen by MLB. Photographers were trying their best to get in, sticking cameras under legs, microphones overhead. No words, just cheers, and one massive hug. It was as if no one teammate was more important than another. Mike and Ginny had been separated by the massive hug on the field, but their eyes never left each other. Ginny could see that silly chain. What ever it was must have worked.

Ginny yelled back across the huddle to Mike "Soon! Old man, soon."

After locker room celebrations were done, Mike and Ginny easily decided they had no more energy to go out for any more celebrations. But they had just enough champagne that it would be an Uber home, and they didn't care at this point who saw them climb into the same Uber, it was late, and anyone still out was probably not sober either.

Once they were back home she reached under his shirt. "Where is that chain, that talis-what-ever-it-is?" Ginny asked.

"Safe." Mike responded, and carried Ginny to bed.

**\- Aftershock –**

The next morning they would need to retrieve their cars from Petco. The stadium had kept extra security on staff that night seeing as pretty much all the players had too much to drink and ended up leaving their cars in the lot. It was one thing to go home together after the game. But they were still going to show up separately to fetch their cars. As they got ready that morning, Ginny had one last thing she needed to tell Mike.

"So I have a confession, and you may be mad at me. But I did it for you." Ginny started. "Yesterday, when I left early… I hung out in my car in the parking lot in case your dad showed up again."

"And…"

"He did, with his… your nephew. I got him tickets to the game. I didn't want him to upset you again, so I thought I would run interference." She looked at him waiting to see how upset he would be before she finished the story.

"Thanks, that was probably a good call. Did he say anything?"

"I didn't really give him much of a chance. I may have said a few other things to him." And she bit her bottom lip and looked very guilty.

"What did you say, Baker?"

Ginny couldn't even look at Mike as she finished talking. "I basically told him not to come back to see you until he was ready to tell the rest of his family who you were to him, his son. That you would be having kids yourself one day and those kids would ask about their grandpa. So he needed to decide if he was going to expand his family, or just stay away. But if he was ready, you would be too. I know it wasn't my place to say anything. I didn't plan it. But when I saw him, I just had this flash of trying to explain it to our kids." She was so afraid he was going to go through the roof. She had been holding on to this guilt all night.

Mike took Ginny's chin in his hand, "no one on this planet has ever tried to protect my heart the way you do, and for that I will never be mad at you. So about those kids you keep mentioning…"

"Not yet Lawson, not yet…"

"Okay, but I'm holding you to it, I want babies, Baker." He pulled her in tight. "Lot's of babies, little Mike's and Ginny's running around everywhere, driving us crazy, being loud, in a house full of love, lot's of love. Someday, when you're ready."

"I love you too. Now who should go get their car first from Petco?"


	12. The Engagement

**\- Step 1: Al's Blessing-**

It was only 48 hours since the Padres won the World Series. The team had been called into the clubhouse to go over logistics for the city wide parade and rally the following day, plus public appearances around the city for the next few weeks. Mike and Ginny had requested a meeting with Al and Oscar.

Mike and Ginny arrived about 30 minutes prior to the rest of the team and met in Oscars office. They had been up late the night before debating if they were ready to finally to go public with their relationship. So Al and Oscar mistook the tired look on their faces for something else when they entered the office.

"What's up you two? Should I worry? You break up and I need to trade one of you?" Oscar was to known jump to conclusions. He also might have had a little too much coffee these days planning all the festivities.

"No!" They both said in unison.

Mike and Ginny sat down and he took Ginny's hand. Mike began, "We're ready to take the relationship public in a few weeks."

Ginny continued, "We don't want to detract from the Padres World Series celebrations. But once most of the public appearances are done, we want to go public. We wanted to run it by you both first, and with your blessing, let the team know it would be coming in a few weeks so they won't be blind-sighted."

Al rubbed his hands through his hair… "you two just wont let me go out gracefully will you? I was thinking of retiring, but I may need to stick around another season just to make sure you two don't go screw anything up in the press." And he looked over at Oscar.

"Don't think you're retiring yet. If Lawson is sticking around, so are you. Plus the media storm they are going to bring down could only be handled by you. I mean you've dug yourself out of worse with Ginny alone." Oscar responded somewhat jokingly. "So do you have a plan?"

"Not really, we wanted to talk to you and the team first, then come up with a plan after that." Mike responded.

"I guess we have another thing to add to our list to tell the team today." Al said. "I'll walk down with you. I need to make a few calls from my office. See you in a few minutes in the locker room Oscar." And with that, Mike, Ginny and Al headed down to the locker room.

As they neared Al's office, Mike asked, "Hey Al, I have a quick questions about my contract, mind if I take two minutes of your time?"

"Sure, come on in," and Al shut the door behind them.

"So, upstairs we said we didn't have a plan to go public. Well _**WE**_ don't have a plan. But _**I**_ do have a plan. He pulled the chain out from under his shirt and revealed an engagement ring. I'd like to propose to Gin after the team pictures while we're out on the field. I know there will be a lot of family members there. I figure we can share video of the proposal with ESPN the following day."

"You think Baker is going to marry your grumpy ass?"

"Yeah, never been so sure of anything in my life. I still don't know how I got so lucky, but I'm never letting go. So, do I have you blessing?" Mike asked almost as if he was asking Ginny's dad.

"Teammates secretly dating, proposal post World Series Championship, my pitcher and Catcher married… I think I've seen it all. Babies?" and Al looked at Lawson.

"Not yet, I'm not allowed to knock her up for a few years, like 5," Mike responded with his notorious smirk.

"Make it closer to 10 and you have my blessing. But for the record, you'll be great parents" Al joked.

**\- Step 2: Family's blessing -**

Friday afternoon, Ginny arrived home from a solo PR event to find her mom and Will in her living room laughing with Mike. She hated being bombarded and was pissed that Mike had invited them over without asking. Hell, he probably bought their plane tickets and paid for their hotels.

"Mom!?... Will?! …"

"Surprise!" Janet and Will said together. "Mike flew us in to celebrate your season! Although I had totally forgotten you two were still roommates."

Yup, Ginny was right.

"So Gin, What's new, other than being a ball player for the best team in the MLB?" her brother asked. Their relationship had been strained, but Will was trying to earn her trust again. "Is living in this bachelor pad keeping you from dating, or helping your dating life?"

Mike looked over at Ginny, "Yeah Gin, what's new?" He had been waiting patiently for her to tell them about their relationship. A week before they won the World Series she told Mike she was ready and would tell them as soon as the playoffs were over.

"Wow, I haven't been home five minutes and we're doing this?" And she dropped her bag. "Mom… Will… Mike Lawson brought you here under false pretenses. He said it was to 'celebrate the Padres win. But really, it was to get me to come clean. We've been living in _**sin**_ and in secret for the past year and he doesn't want you to hate him."

Will and Janet started to laugh like Ginny had just told a great joke. But then they realized that Mike had walked over to Ginny and had wrapped his arm around her.

"How'd the event go? Same 'ol, same 'ol" Mike asked Ginny directly?

"Yes. But a little heads up about what I was coming home to would have been nice, _**Dear**_ ," With extra sarcasm added to the 'dear.' "I know, I said I was ready to tell them, and still love you, even though I hate these kinds of surprises." And she leaned up to kiss him.

It was now completely clear to Janet and Will what was going on.

"So you?" Will looked at Mike, "and my little sister? How serious is it?"

"We've been a couple this whole time we've been living together. But we had to keep it a secret to prove to the Padres management we could be teammates and a couple. We couldn't risk it getting out."

Janet was fuming. "You couldn't trust me? Your own mom?"

"Oh I trust you mom. But what if you accidentally told one of the ladies at church you daughter had a new boyfriend. And then they told someone else and it spiraled from there. Then the paparazzi would start hounding me to find out who my boyfriend was. And Will and I were just getting back to a good place. I didn't want to put this burden on him. I just got through one of the hardest years of my life being constantly under a microscope and in the media."

"So why now, why not just keep hiding from your loved ones?" Janet asked in a rather snarky tone.

"I'm tired of hiding my relationship with Mike. We're ready to go public with, well 'US' and we wanted to make sure you heard it from us."

"But you just said you didn't want to be under the media's microscope anymore. You're not making sense Gin." Will asked.

Mikes turn to support Ginny. "Well it's the offseason, and from what I know about this town, all eyes will shift to the Chargers. So our news will be news for about 48 hours and then people will forget about us. Fans will have the rest of the off-season to let it set in. We'll be honest and let them know we've been together this whole season and management was aware of the relationship."

"Wait, your coach knew before I did?" Janet asked.

"Yes mom, I said that before. We had to keep this a secret so they could know with out media attention that we could still operate on the field as professionals."

Mike had fixed dinner ahead of time. "Why don't we move this conversation to the dinner table. I'm sure Will and Janet have a lot of questions that we need to answer."

The rest of the night was tense, but as the weekend progressed tension dissipated. On Sunday, Ginny had another PR event with Duarte. Mike offer to take Janet and Will to the PR event the over to the airport. On the ride to the airport, Janet asked Mike. "This was you're idea, she would have let us find out through the media."

Mike didn't answer. Janet continued. "Do you really love her?"

"Yes ma'am. She's my everything. I plan to marry her once I retire, if that's okay with you?" Mike answered this time.

"You're definitely not what I expected for a son-in-law, but I think you'll be good for each other. But I better not hear about your wedding after the fact. I expect a front row seat."

"Thank you." Mike had the parent approval.

**-Step 3: Ask the Girl - The Engagement Recap -**

The photographer was on a tall ladder arranging the team, coaches and staff for a picture on the middle of the field. All the players were in their uniforms, staff in matching polo shirts with the Padres logo on it.

The photographer asked for one final shot. "Can the team captain come up front? Also, the first female player? I want a shot highlighting you two. Go ahead and stand on the pitcher's mound."

Both Mike and Ginny made their way to the front and the photographer continued adjusting the rest of the team to fill in the gaps. In actuality, they were handing something out behind their backs.

Then, Mike dropped down to one knee in front of Ginny as all the players held out a rose towards their Captain. Mike had a lapel mic attached to his jersey so those in attendance for the team picture could hear and Evelyn's recording of the proposal would be capture the audio. "Ginny, Rookie, love of my life." Ginny began to wipe the tears from her face as Blip handed her a handkerchief, and as if on cue.

Blip said "you know there's no crying in baseball."

Mike smiled, took her hands and continued. "You have challenged me, I mean **_really_** challenged me, and changed me for the better both on and off the field. I think everyone in the clubhouse would agree that you, in my life makes me a better man."

Blip shouted "now you're tolerable, old man Lawson…" Pretty much everyone laughed.

Mike continued, "I told you after our first kiss, I was never going to let you go. I told Al before spring training, bench me over her if our relationship get's in the way of the team. After we told the team, I'm told them I was going to marry you. A week later, I went and bought a ring, and have worn it around my neck every game since then. It was my lucky charm." As Mike was talking, still on bent knee, he took a chain out from under his shirt and held out the engagement ring attached to it. "Please Ginny, will you…" before he can end his question,

Ginny recognizes the chain instantly. She teased him relentlessly during playoffs about this chain. He'd been wearing an engagement ring for her this whole time. She has bent over to kiss him before he was able to finish asking. "… marry me" Mike finishes slightly breathless.

Ginny nods 'yes' and throws her arms around Mike's neck as he stood up, and whispers "three, I want three kids" in his ear that the mic doesn't pick up. Then she starts repeating, "yes, yes, yes." He slips the ring, still attached to the chain on her finger.

"She said YES!" and pumps his fist in the air. By this time their teammates have now separated the petals from the stems and thrown rose petals towards the newly engaged couple.

"I love you!" Ginny declared, her first words that are actually picked up by the mic on Lawson's jersey. She now has jumped onto Mike with both legs wrapped around him and there is no way anyone is getting in the middle of this epic kiss. He's knees are sure to feel this the next day, but he doesn't care, he's going to marry this woman.

In the background, you can hear the team cheering for them.

Once they have untangles themselves from one another, they are greeted and congratulated by those around them. Mike had made a promise of no champagne in the locker room, so he promised an engagement party at a later date.

On the drive home, Mike reminds Ginny of his interview. "So remember my interview with ESPN tomorrow?"

"Yeah, you are going to let them know you are finishing out your contract, put to rest any rumors. Why?"

"I want to share the video of our proposal on air." And with that there was a long period of silence while Ginny let it sink in. "Well, I thought it was a good idea. It doesn't just say, hey we like each other, it says, we're in love and getting married. We've been dating for a year and it hasn't impacted our game. You have the offseason to get over it. So when we come back next spring, you should be on board." And more silence.

"I just need a minute to process."

They pulled into the driveway of their house.

"Sorry, I didn't think how much this would for you be all at once, engagement and going public in a 24-hour period." The car was parked in the driveway. "Do you want to get married?" Mike asked hesitantly. He had been so sure of himself until this very moment.

"Out of the car now Mike Lawson!" Ginny barked. She ran around to where he stood on his side of the car and kissed him. "I can't wait to marry you… and I am ready to tell the world I'm in love with this grumpy old man." And she kissed him again as she leaned them both up against the car. "I'm in shock because I just didn't think _**you**_ would want to get married again, after Rachel. So are _**you**_ sure you want to get married?"

"I've been wearing that ring around my neck for months now. I've had plenty of time to change my mind, and I and so sure" and he kissed her forehead." Let's go get some beauty sleep, we have a show to do in the morning."

"You realize your ex-wife is gonna be so pissed you didn't give this exclusive on her show."

"I know, it's awesome, isn't it." Mike responded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At some point, I'll start posting the sequel to this series, "A Long Engagement."


End file.
